My Writing Journey

I guess I’ve always loved to write. I still have a story from a school assignment in which we had to use certain words to make up a story. I got an A+. Maybe that was the beginning of loving the process of putting words together. At the end of eighth grade, when we were heading to high school, there was a contest to write a graduation poem. I wanted to win it, but I came in second to a BOY! But I still have the poem.

I majored in Speech/English in college and wrote our class history for the annual. Writing just seemed to be something that drew me in and wouldn’t let go. When I married and had children, I loved reading to them, and especially remember the Richard Scarry books. I would regularly take my children to the library story hour. My precious father knew I loved children’s books and one day he sent me an advertisement for a course in writing for children. My mother graciously offered to pay for the course for me, and the rest, as they say, is history. I am still writing some 35 years later.

I try to stay current and involved in the world of children’s writing. I am a member of SCBWI, and local liaison for the Southern Breeze SCBWI. I have been a member of a local critique group for over 15 years, and I attend conferences and take online writing courses. For the third year, I have faithfully participated in PiBoIdMo (now StoryStorm), which has been a wealth of information.

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Growing Up: Beach Bum

I grew up near Myrtle Beach, SC, and so enjoyed my days with my family on the beach. My mother inherited a hotel, The Villa Ambrose, on the oceanfront at Myrtle Beach. Our family got to stay there for a week during the summer. Such fun memories of our time as kids enjoying the beach right at our doorstep. Starting when I was a senior in high school, and for the two following summers, I got to work there as a waitress. What a wonderful job that was. Back then, the hotel had window air conditioners and shared baths. Yes, that’s right. And one TV in the big meeting area. Whoever got there first chose the channel.

Drama Queen

Here I am in my waitress uniform.

 I always loved performing and my mother told the story of my reciting, at age three, the entire NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS to some workers at our house. I loved plays, and have been in quite a few. While in college, I majored in Drama/English, and enjoyed being in several plays. In addition, I loved being a part of the yearly follies where the classes competed against each other. I think this is my Junior year and you can tell I was a Southern belle. I especially loved the silly and funny roles.

Here I am hamming it up as a baby!

Portraying Miss Muffet in a school play.

Playing a Southern belle in my college follies

Music Lover

Another love of mine is music.  Here I am singing I LOVE YOU TRULY in the local Tom Thumb Wedding--a fundraiser in which children under the age of 10  take the role of those in a real wedding--and hamming it up with my middle sister as the Beatles. During my life, I’ve taken piano, organ, and flute lessons. Mostly I just play the piano now. I sang in the College Choir and had the lead in the musical Finian’s Rainbow. That was lots of fun. I had to learn an Irish dance, which took me a while, though.
 
Well, enough about all my background.  Hop on over and check out some of my published works!

Singing at the local Tom Thumb Wedding

Hamming it up as the Beatles

Starring in Finian's Rainbow